One application I use at home is the Microsoft version of Antispyware, or Defender as they now call it.

Hey....it could also read....."Have you TRIED turning it off and on again"......there are also the the four magic letters that don't require the missing keyboard 'e' to bring a computer back to life...

February 09, 2006Google Copies Your Hard Drive - Government Smiles in AnticipationConsumers Should Not Use New Google Desktop

San Francisco - Google today announced a new "feature" of its Google Desktop software that greatly increases the risk to consumer privacy. If a consumer chooses to use it, the new "Search Across Computers" feature will store copies of the user's Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets and other text-based documents on Google's own servers, to enable searching from any one of the user's computers. EFF urges consumers not to use this feature, because it will make their personal data more vulnerable to subpoenas from the government and possibly private litigants, while providing a convenient one-stop-shop for hackers who've obtained a user's Google password.

"Coming on the heels of serious consumer concern about government snooping into Google's search logs, it's shocking that Google expects its users to now trust it with the contents of their personal computers," said EFF Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston. "If you use the Search Across Computers feature and don't configure Google Desktop very carefully—and most people won't—Google will have copies of your tax returns, love letters, business records, financial and medical files, and whatever other text-based documents the Desktop software can index. The government could then demand these personal files with only a subpoena rather than the search warrant it would need to seize the same things from your home or business, and in many cases you wouldn't even be notified in time to challenge it. Other litigants—your spouse, your business partners or rivals, whoever—could also try to cut out the middleman (you) and subpoena Google for your files."

The privacy problem arises because the Electronic Communication Privacy Act of 1986, or ECPA, gives only limited privacy protection to emails and other files that are stored with online service providers—much less privacy than the legal protections for the same information when it's on your computer at home. And even that lower level of legal protection could disappear if Google uses your data for marketing purposes. Google says it is not yet scanning the files it copies from your hard drive in order to serve targeted advertising, but it hasn't ruled out the possibility, and Google's current privacy policy appears to allow it.

"This Google product highlights a key privacy problem in the digital age," said Cindy Cohn, EFF's Legal Director. "Many Internet innovations involve storing personal files on a service provider's computer, but under outdated laws, consumers who want to use these new technologies have to surrender their privacy rights. If Google wants consumers to trust it to store copies of personal computer files, emails, search histories and chat logs, and still 'not be evil,' it should stand with EFF and demand that Congress update the privacy laws to better reflect life in the wired world."

I get to say it quite often, it's second in line to "Log out, then back in again". Getting the base unit switched off buys us Techies a bit more thinking time <snip>

It works surprisingly well, most of the time! Most users hate us saying it because they have 47 applications open 'to do their daily work' and it takes them ages to re-open them once re-booted. The fact rebooting often works is somehow irrelevant if it causes them even more inconvenience!

The 1st thing IT staff should do when responding to a 'disaster' is back up the current (broken) situation. This is to allow thinking time and ensure any 'corrective' action will not make the situation worse.

hi alljust come across these pages if you are looking for free software a good reliable and safe download site iswww.computeractive.co.uk/downloadsa good infomation site and a IT mag with plain speaking detailed help and solutions. hope this will be a help to you allcheersbarry lumley

Most of the good utility freebies have all ready been mentioned. I would like to add zone Alarms firewall, which is reputed to be better than most of those that you pay for. It is available from www.zonelabs.com

Think that opening more than one “screen” at a time in Internet Explorer is only available in IE7.

When you open IE it usually opens at your “home page” by default, and that is your first “tab”. It’s just above your home page – and is a wide “tab” with the word Google (or whatever your homepage is). Immediately next to that “tab” is a small tab. To view other sites and leaving Google open, click on that small tab, then type in the address of the new site, send it, and that site will open. Again, at the top of the page is a tab stating Google, and another one which will show the name of the new site. You can then open another one in the same way, etc. etc. and so forth.

If I open sites from “Favorites” – I go to the appropriate section - e.g. LoL is in a section entitled "Genealogy", I first of all hold down the Ctrl key, then click the link for Lowestofonline - which will then open that site. Then you can open others the same way.

To close any tab that you no longer need, just click on that tab and a small “x” appears, click on that, and that page closes.

i cant get out look express full stop.i loose lol each time go back to yahoo,to see my mail.if could get oe be easier.told cos i live in lowi that bt can't let me use oe.this never happen in london.think someone talking crap here.i also get awful noise like creeking door when i do things with files.windows 98 was lot better.thanks kip

if could get oe be easier.told cos i live in lowi that bt can't let me use oe.this never happen in london. think someone talking crap here.

This sounds very odd – that you can’t get OE. Think someone’s been telling you porkies – that “because you live in lowi BT can’t let you use OE”. OE is a program within Windows – it has nothing to do with BT. Assuming that OE is there, then this would suggest that it’s not been set up to connect with your ISP. Which version of Windows are you using – XP?John

Generally speaking that is what I do Kipper. If however I am looking at LOL and decide to ask Google for something by typing into the small GOogle slot at the top, then as soon as I click go, the LOL disappears.

Generally speaking that is what I do Kipper. If however I am looking at LOL and decide to ask Google for something by typing into the small GOogle slot at the top, then as soon as I click go, the LOL disappears.

If you type into the Address bar of a Window you already have open, e.g. LOL, and press Enter, you will close down LOL instantly, that's normal.....

I have 'Internet Explorer' - 'Outlook Express' and 'Desktop' icons permanently in my tray next to Start.......Sooooooooo, if I have LOL open and I want to check on something or open another Window using my Browser Google....I just click the IE Icon in the Tray which opens Google on TOP of LOL.....Soooo..when I've finished with the other Windows I've opened, I just close them until I get back to LOL........I hope that all makes sense, doing it and explaining it are two different things...Right?.....

Hi Meryl, can you tell me please how to go about making a signature and a picture to put at the end of my posts. thanks omgiexx

Hi Eth, I could try to explain but it is a bit long winded. Dorothy Ann has made one for you which I will happily insert to you signature space. However if you have a pic of your own , then just insert it via the Browse slot and I will pick it up and ad it for you. Get back to me and tell me what you want to do.

Ideally you want to be able to uninstall internet explorer 7 and reinstall internet explorer 6. However, I believe that Microsoft will not let you do that - I don't think they have ie6 available for download on their site anymore. I think that when you first upgraded there would have ben a warning box telling you this - it is Microsofts way of forcing you to do it 'their' way.

If you don't like the way that Internet Explorer behaves, you could always try Firefox. They too have tabs - and in fact were the first browser to do so - but they do act in a slightly different way. Personally I switched to Firefox a year ago BECAUSE of the tabs, and then switched back again when ie7 came out as it has slightly better functions.

I may be preaching to the converted but it doesn't appear when i do a search on this site, has anyone tried www.filehippo.com?Full of free useful software all in one place...also a new function on there that automatically alerts you to updates on existing software you may have on your PC.

Can anyone help please. I am not very computer literate. I pay £25 per month to BT for an 8 mb broadband connection. Last night my son ran a check on my connection and found that it is less than 1 mb. Is this normal? i have just put in a complaint about it as i understand i can get 1 mb elsewhere for about £8 per month.Has anybody experienced similar problems?

My lad showed me this site www.find-dvd.co.uk it does price checks on dvd's, game's, book's, cd's and a wide range of electrical bit's and bob's (tv, fridges, phones etc even iron's ) hope some members find it usefull.

Hi All,Just downloaded software called System Protect which is free and I find it has stopped many files from being Hijacked its well worth using and it saves many problems re-occuring. go towww.system-protect.com/

As for other internet browsers.Opera 9.6 is fast and efficient, has alot of the firefox addons as stand, available free atwww.opera.comGoogle Chrome also works, but its fairly slow and graphics intesive, available from links on the google homepage.

I had a mobile quite a few years ago (can't remember the make/model) that had a barcode scanner built into it. I think it was a little before it's time and could find no real use for it then. May well have had a use today with more internet use than there was then with mobiles.

i only caught tail end on news (cnn)there 3d printers,very clever but got some sinister use....i no find out how much ink would cost not alot about it on internet and would you need wear 3d glasses to use it.

Plenty on internet about 3d printers if you google it SD. And no, you don't need 3d glasses, it actually makes real objects. Most of the printers use a plastic type compound and it is not too expensive, although the printers are fairly costly, about £1,000 for a ready built one.

The sinister use you may be referring to could be about a group in the USA which is planning to "print" parts for guns.

"Printer" seems a very confusing description as we are all familiar with printers that print on sheet material. Surely this should be called something else? If you wanted to "print" a door knob followed by a garden what material would you insert into the printer initially?

ah it takes that long to print.....you would need 3d camera to upload the pics,all very expensiveyes i was thinking of printer i am use to..that amazing films trig posted before christmas seemed a little more than 3d

ok i ll answer that, I can understand ( not the technical workings but the the idea) how ink can dye certain shapes onto a piece of paper but I cant somehow imagine how a long wound up strip of plastic can come out as a shoe I really am not asking for the technicalities of how it works but just finding the visualisation of it all difficult to comprehend

If you watch one of the videos that can be found on-line (google search or there is one on the wiki that I linked to earlier) it may make it clearer.

Basically it is not much different from an ink-jet laying down ink but this one lays down plastic (it melts it first). It them "moves up" and lays down another layer on top of the first, and continues layer by layer until it has finished.

still a printer printer then ,got get meself one printer...do wish we still wrote letters more ...young people use moon pig for cards that obiviously last thought thing...we need get back to personal letters